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City Council Elections: District 3

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  • City Council Elections: District 3

    I live in Kailua and one thing I feel strongly about is the candidates positions on illegal B&B's.

    Here is where they stand from Hawaii Reporter. http://hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx...2-23bae9d466c7

    The following candidates OPPOSE City & County legislation that would allow ADDITIONAL B&B LODGING in residential-zoned neighborhoods:

    Steve Holmes
    John Henry Felix
    Wison Ho
    Keoki Leong
    Tom Pico
    Paul Akau
    Solomon Nalauai

    The following candidates SUPPORT City & County legislation that would allow ADDITIONAL B&B LODGING in residential-zoned neighborhoods:
    Ikaika Anderson
    Tracy Nakano Bean
    Pohai Ryan

    No response or public statements on the issue:

    Leona Kalima

    Of all of the candidates who OPPOSE illegal B&B's, Felix seems to have the best chance of winning so I am voting for him - even if I'm not so sure he did a good job the first time around. One issue election for me.

  • #2
    Re: City Council Elections: District 3

    Felix?!

    You'd vote for that dirty SOB?! The ONLY reason he lives in Kailua is because he wants the council seat, he just frigging moved there! Sorry but voting for politicians who move into a district just so they can get elected, not on my watch.

    I'm gonna vote for Anderson. He's the most electable, has the right endorsements, is a recent veteran of the brutal council politics, and he isn't some scary old fart who screwed us all over last time he was in office. I want someone NEW to screw us over . I don't really agree 100% with his B&B position, but I think the statements he has made about it reflect his deeper knowledge of the issue and its stakeholders rather than a knee-jerk "I hate B&B's" response. Don't get me wrong, I hate B&B's, but the issue is as complex and nuanced as any problem that goes unaddressed as long as this one has. I respect the Hawaii Reporter, but there is a tendency for them to publish articles that reduce complicated issues to "yes" or "no" issues, when often the best answer is "a little bit of both". They've done the same thing when it comes to legislative voting records too, by frequently failing to distinguish yes votes with yes-with-reservations votes and then failing to explain the significance of both. So, Hawaii Reporter, as a source of information is ok, but as a voting guide? Please.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: City Council Elections: District 3

      Originally posted by Jewlipino View Post
      Felix?!

      You'd vote for that dirty SOB?! The ONLY reason he lives in Kailua is because he wants the council seat, he just frigging moved there! Sorry but voting for politicians who move into a district just so they can get elected, not on my watch.
      Not only is he a carpetbagger, but Felix is a hypocrite. He's the man who used a property he owned in Aina Haina as a wedding chapel, even though it was in a residential neighborhood and he didn't have the necessary permits. And now, if he returns to the Council, he wants to come down against the B&B owners? What a hypocrite!

      Ikaika Anderson may have the endorsements. But don't count out Steve Holmes. Holmes represented this district prior to Barbara Marshall. Besides his vigilant stand against over-development and the rail, Holmes is also known for not accepting contribution and support from PACs, businesses, and special interest groups. It was this fierce political independence that impressed many Windward voters and won him elections over better a better financed incumbent in 1990 and a union endorsed opponent in '94. So popular was Holmes that he faced no opposition in '98,..... and only left office in '02 because of term limits. He's the kind of guy that, even if you disagree with him, you can still respect him knowing that he's not taking a position in exchange for some kind of personal favor.
      This post may contain an opinion that may conflict with your opinion. Do not take it personal. Polite discussion of difference of opinion is welcome.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: City Council Elections: District 3

        Originally posted by Jewlipino View Post
        Felix?!
        You'd vote for that dirty SOB?! The ONLY reason he lives in Kailua is because he wants the council seat, he just frigging moved there! Sorry but voting for politicians who move into a district just so they can get elected, not on my watch.
        Hey I'm just sharing the article. I saw it on another bulletin board.

        As for Felix, I can take him or leave him. I'm just uncomfortable about supporting someone who is seemingly for an issue I am against.

        Felix, Holmes, Whoever is the frontrunner who opposes will get my vote.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: City Council Elections: District 3

          Originally posted by 808shooter View Post
          Hey I'm just sharing the article. I saw it on another bulletin board.

          As for Felix, I can take him or leave him. I'm just uncomfortable about supporting someone who is seemingly for an issue I am against.

          Felix, Holmes, Whoever is the frontrunner who opposes will get my vote.
          Mahalo for sharing your article, but I have to concur with Jewlipino and Frankie. Attitudes like yours is the reason we get the same ’ol plastic politicians year after year. Learn about why a candidate is good for the City and County of Honolulu! Don’t just support the “frontrunner” based on a single hot-button issue. That’s allowing your vote to be bought without a single campaign penny.

          We can’t be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans.

          — U.S. President Bill Clinton
          USA TODAY, page 2A
          11 March 1993

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: City Council Elections: District 3

            Originally posted by Frankie's Market View Post
            Not only is he a carpetbagger, but Felix is a hypocrite. He's the man who used a property he owned in Aina Haina as a wedding chapel, even though it was in a residential neighborhood and he didn't have the necessary permits. And now, if he returns to the Council, he wants to come down against the B&B owners? What a hypocrite!
            Aww, he's just taking a page from Eliot Spitzer's playbook!

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: City Council Elections: District 3

              Originally posted by Jewlipino View Post
              The ONLY reason he lives in Kailua is because he wants the council seat, he just frigging moved there! Sorry but voting for politicians who move into a district just so they can get elected, not on my watch.
              This happens all the time. Duke Bainum was living in Arkansas and flew to Honolulu to rent an apartment the day before the filing deadline so he and Ann Kobayashi could rig the last election. They shafted the voters so he could run unopposed.

              I would vote against any carpetbagger politician on principle alone. Both parties are equally guilty of this. A prime example is Hillary Clinton running for Senate in New York. Hillary's from Arkansas... maybe Bainum learned it from her.
              Last edited by localmoco; April 3, 2009, 11:56 AM.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: City Council Elections: District 3

                Originally posted by 808shooter View Post
                Hey I'm just sharing the article.
                Well, please understand why people are reacting the way they are; you didn't just share the article, you also said how you were likely to vote, and that you felt strongly about a particular issue:
                Originally posted by 808shooter View Post
                I live in Kailua and one thing I feel strongly about is the candidates positions on illegal B&B's. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Of all of the candidates who OPPOSE illegal B&B's, Felix seems to have the best chance of winning so I am voting for him - even if I'm not so sure he did a good job the first time around. One issue election for me.
                If you are going to state your political opinion so clearly, don't get too defensive when people react to you, 'kay?

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: City Council Elections: District 3

                  Originally posted by localmoco View Post
                  I would vote against any carpetbagger politician on principle alone. Both parties are equally guilty of this. A prime example is Hillary Clinton running for Senate in New York. Hillary's from Arkansas... maybe Bainum learned it from her.
                  Hillary is actually a native of Illinois. In her case, she's spent her life living in different places. But aside from all that, the Constitution doesn't specifically say that a Representative or a Senator has to live in the state or congressional district that he/she lives in. The founding fathers decided that it was up to the voters to decide if they wanted to have a native son or a carpetbagger to represent them in Congress. And New Yorkers (many of whom moved into the state themselves over the years) adopted Hillary Clinton as one of their own, just as they did for Bobby Kennedy.

                  In the case of the Honolulu City Council, there is a residency requirement. But all it entails is a candidate simply owning/renting a home in the district they choose to run out of. It could be an empty unit they are hanging onto, for all we know, while the candidate spends 99.9% of their time living outside of the council district. The city charter contains no prohibition against that. Once again, the govt. framers have left it up to the voters in the district to make the decision for themselves.
                  This post may contain an opinion that may conflict with your opinion. Do not take it personal. Polite discussion of difference of opinion is welcome.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: City Council Elections: District 3

                    Don't come down too hard on 808shooter. One of the things about Council elections is that the Council districts are so big, and often lump together several disparate communities, that achieving community consensus on what is good for the community, much less the City & County of Honolulu, is hit-or-miss under the best of circumstances. This means that many voters attempt to reduce what is a complex election to a single-issue vote. While this is irresponsible it is understandable.

                    I myself am an avid rail supporter, even though as a resident of Kailua I don't stand to gain directly. However, the fact that I spent a number of years living in a major city with a major rail system helps me to understand how Kailua gains indirectly from rail (another reason I could never vote for Holmes), that being the reduction in Honolulu traffic and parking woes (I work, like most Kailuans, in Honolulu).

                    I want my council-member to be able to look at these big-picture issues with a big-picture attitude, yet still be well-grounded in his/her community so that those issues that are local to our district are dealt with in ways that allow our communities to grow and flourish, not turn into the weekend retreats of californicators. Most of my childhood friends have moved away from Kailua and Waimanalo due to the increasing cost of housing (thanks B&B's, among other causes) and the lack of local employment, and no carpetbagger will ever understand that and do what is necessary to make a change. Felix and Holmes are more of the same, new blood, or at least newer blood is necessary on the Council and for our district. Out of all the candidates the only ones who have a good head on their shoulders and are even remotely electable, outside of Felix and Holmes whose only real qualifications are name-recognition, are Anderson and (at a far second place) Bean. Felix and Holmes just muddy the issue, let's put them out to pasture where they belong.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: City Council Elections: District 3

                      Originally posted by Frankie's Market View Post
                      Hillary is actually a native of Illinois.
                      Yes, but she moved to Arkansas right after college and lived there until Bill was elected President.

                      Originally posted by Frankie's Market View Post
                      But aside from all that, the Constitution doesn't specifically say that a Representative or a Senator has to live in the state or congressional district that he/she lives in.
                      Wrong. Article 1, Section 3 of the Constitution says "No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen."


                      Originally posted by Frankie's Market View Post
                      In the case of the Honolulu City Council, there is a residency requirement. But all it entails is a candidate simply owning/renting a home in the district they choose to run out of. It could be an empty unit they are hanging onto, for all we know, while the candidate spends 99.9% of their time living outside of the council district. The city charter contains no prohibition against that. Once again, the govt. framers have left it up to the voters in the district to make the decision for themselves.
                      Really? Section 3-104 of the City charter says "To be eligible for election or appointment to the council, a person must be a duly qualified elector of the council district from which the person seeks to be elected. Any councilmember who removes his or her residence from the district from which the councilmember was elected or appointed shall, by that fact, be deemed to have vacated the office."

                      To me, carpetbagger politicians are not really representatives of their districts and will not get my vote. Your mileage may vary.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: City Council Elections: District 3

                        Originally posted by localmoco View Post
                        Wrong. Article 1, Section 3 of the Constitution says "No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen."
                        I'm not wrong. You missed the boat on a couple of key words in that section of the Constitution.

                        No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.

                        "When elected." Article 1, Section 3 only kicks in IF that person wins the election. They don't have to be a resident of that state in order to run as a candidate. Big difference.

                        True, I didn't use the term "candidate" in my previous post. However, I thought it would be self-evident to most people that I was talking about candidates. In my previous post, I said that "the founding fathers decided that it was up to the voters to decide if they wanted to have a native son or a carpetbagger to represent them in Congress." So here, I was talking about voters deciding upon who to vote for (a native son or a carpetbagger) before an election.

                        Originally posted by localmoco View Post
                        Really? Section 3-104 of the City charter says "To be eligible for election or appointment to the council, a person must be a duly qualified elector of the council district from which the person seeks to be elected. Any councilmember who removes his or her residence from the district from which the councilmember was elected or appointed shall, by that fact, be deemed to have vacated the office."
                        So how does that contradict anything I said in my previous post? As I said, as long as a councilmember owns or rents a residential unit in the council district they wish to represent, then they will have fulfilled the residency requirement. There's nothing in the city charter that says a councilmember has to spend X number of hours living in that unit. As long as they are listed as being the resident or tenant in that unit, then they are eligible to vote in and represent that district.

                        BTW, you might want to read up on the controversy that surrounded State House Speaker Calvin Say a couple of years ago. The spouse of one of his opponents tried to legally challenge Say's eligibility to represent the 20th House district because the state rep. was seldom physically spent at his home in Palolo and that the garage was empty. Reportedly, Say spent the majority of his time living at his mother's home in Pahoa. But despite all this, the legal challenge was not upheld. And the voters in the 20th district made their feelings known by keeping Say in office.

                        Originally posted by localmoco View Post
                        To me, carpetbagger politicians are not really representatives of their districts and will not get my vote. Your mileage may vary.
                        YMMV indeed. Just to make it clear, I'm not in any way defending opportunistic politicians suddenly dropping into a district. But as I said, both the framers of the US Constitution and the Honolulu City Charter have (wisely, I think) left it up to the wisdom of the voters to decide if they want newcomer X to represent them in office. You are, of course, free to vote against every carpetbagger that you see on your ballot. Others might think about other relevant factors and look at the bigger picture before casting their vote.
                        Last edited by Frankie's Market; April 3, 2009, 11:35 PM.
                        This post may contain an opinion that may conflict with your opinion. Do not take it personal. Polite discussion of difference of opinion is welcome.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: City Council Elections: District 3

                          Originally posted by localmoco View Post
                          This happens all the time. Duke Bainum was living in Arkansas and flew to Honolulu to rent an apartment the day before the filing deadline so he and Ann Kobayashi could rig the last election. They shafted the voters so he could run unopposed.

                          I would vote against any carpetbagger politician on principle alone. Both parties are equally guilty of this. A prime example is Hillary Clinton running for Senate in New York. Hillary's from Arkansas... maybe Bainum learned it from her.
                          Like Frankie says, Hillary is from Illinois, but your post is otherwise valid. The ongoing Bainum saga (being discussed here) is a painful chapter in city politics and I’m still patiently waiting to add my name the recall petition promised by Voice for Choice.

                          We can’t be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans.

                          — U.S. President Bill Clinton
                          USA TODAY, page 2A
                          11 March 1993

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: City Council Elections: District 3

                            Have any of you considered voting for Wilson Ho?

                            He certainly has name recognition in the district, has a good reputation and is experienced in City & County politics. He served as Neighborhood Board President in Waimanalo for many years. He is also a long time resident of the district, unlike several of the others. He doesn't have a bogus education (like Holmes) nor did he run an illegal business out of his home for which he refused to pay the daily fines (like Felix). He doesn't have the endorsement of Marshall's husband (like Anderson) but that is just playing on the emotional tug of Marshall's recent passing.

                            I can't vote in this election (don't live in the district) but I've known Ho for almost 40 years and have always found him to be an honest, ethical and professional person.
                            "Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be."
                            – Sydney J. Harris

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: City Council Elections: District 3

                              Yuck! More pseudo-elections!

                              What gets people elected in Hawai`i? Is it:
                              More signs, assuming more supporters?
                              Being Democrat? (sure helps!, doesn't hurt)
                              Having a recognizable neme? (doesn't matter if the news was good or bad - e.g., Mufi)
                              Being cute? (Ms. Wooley)

                              Maybe I don't read enough newspapers or something, but I hardly ever know what the position of candidates on important issues is, or what they promise to do. I learned more here than from campaign materials!

                              I'd hate to stop voting, but I can hardly vote for anyone whose political position I don't know.
                              (Of course, from my sig (below) you can tell I'm completely a-political... [or is that anti-political?])
                              I'm glad you folks are so tolerant!
                              Last edited by Kaonohi; April 4, 2009, 05:26 PM. Reason: Clarification
                              Be Yourself. Everyone Else Is Taken!
                              ~ ~
                              Kaʻonohiʻulaʻokahōkūmiomioʻehiku
                              Spreading the virus of ALOHA.
                              Oh Chu. If only you could have seen what I've seen, with your eyes.

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